Essendon is thrilled to announce 25 players have recommitted to the club ahead of the 2023 AFLW Season.

Reigning Best and Fairest winner Maddy Prespakis and co-captains Bonnie Toogood and Steph Cain headline the exciting group.

Every player who finished in the Bombers’ top 10 in the 2022 AFLW best and fairest has re-committed to the club, including Daria Bannister, Jacqui Vogt, Catherine Phillips, Stephanie Wales, Georgia Gee, Sophie Van De Heuvel and Paige Scott.

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2022 AFLW B&F | Prespakis' winner interview

Hear from Maddy Prespakis who became the Dons' inaugural AFLW Best & Fairest player for 2022.

Amber Clarke, Mia Busch, Amelia Radford, Mia Van Dyke and Ash Van Loon will also wear the red and black alongside fellow 2022 draftees in Scott and Wales.

After being placed on the inactive list for Season Seven, former VFLW Premiership Captain Georgia Nanscawen will return to the senior list following her ACL injury.

Demonstrating the strength of the Bombers’ VFLW program, Alana Barba, Joanne Doonan, Danielle Marshall, Alex Morcom and Renee Tierney will all return for a second AFLW season in the red and black.

Sophie Alexander, Jessica Wuetschner, Ellyse Gamble and Lily-Rose Williamson will also Don the Sash in Season Eight.

New faces to the side include Kodi Jacques, Brooke Brown, Brooke Walker, Leah Cutting and Georgia Clarke, who all arrived through the AFLW Sign and Trade Periods.

AFLW List and Recruiting Manager Georgia Harvey said the club was excited to welcome back 25 players from its inaugural season.

“It’s a great sign for the program and culture we are building at The NEC Hangar for women’s football to have 25 players re-commit from our inaugural year,” Harvey said.

“We will continue to learn and grow as a group but have laid some strong foundations that will help set us up for sustained success moving forward. What is clear, is the belief in where we are going, which is a fantastic reflection on the broader club for embracing our AFLW team.

“To add the quality of people and players that we have during the Priority Signing Period (PSP), Trade Period and Delisted Free Agency Period (DFA) is a testament to the program and excitement amongst the group as we head into season 8.”

Essendon’s sign and trade period is proudly bought to you by Liberty Financial.